Lance Of All Trades
by PrismaPup7
Summary: (Part One) Lance's teammates are counting on him to create the perfect outfits before they land on a planet, to impress the native aliens and convince them to join the Voltron coalition. But Lance only has a week, and he's doubtful in his own abilities. Is he capable of making it in time, or will he fail his entire team?


**Okay, I finally finished this! Or, at least, part one. I can guarantee that there will be more parts coming, but it will take awhile, because just look at how many words this turned out to be! **

**WARNINGS: Lance doesn't really like himself in this, and there will be references to past depression. I will add more warnings as the story unfolds, and if you are triggered by any of it, then I suggest you skip over this fic.**

**HEADCANONS used in this chapter: Lance is a fashion KING, Lance knows how to sew, Lance is able to speak to all the Lions, Lance is the middle child of his family (I know he has a canon family, but SHHH. I prefer thinking he's the middle child), all the Lions are female, and Lance used to/still has slight depression.**

**Okay, one more quick thing before you start reading. I'm not exactly good with fashion, so sorry if any of the outfits I describe would be super ugly in real life. And I also don't really understand human emotions, so it might be a little all over the place. :T **

**All italicized sentences are either by Lance talking in his head or the Lions, just to clear up any confusion.**

**That being said, please enjoy, and leave a comment below on your favorite parts! I'd love to hear from you! :3**

* * *

_Tap tap tap._

"Would you _stop _ that?!"

Lance's fingers paused in their incessant tapping, and he turned to frown at Keith. "What?"

Keith nodded at his hand, eyes narrowed into irritated slits. "Stop making that tapping noise! It's driving me crazy!"

Lance's face broke into a devious smile. "Oh, you mean _this _ noise?" He began drumming on the table with both hands, trying his best not to laugh at Keith's murderous glare.

If looks could kill, Lance would've dropped dead right then and there.

"Lance, Keith!" Allura's annoyed voice broke through their staring contest. "Are you even paying attention? This is important!"

"Sorry, Allura," Lance apologized, hands falling into his lap. He chanced a glance in Keith's direction, mouth moving before he could think. "...But Keith started it."

"Hey!" Keith bristled, and was probably about to start arguing when Shiro cleared his throat with a meaningful warning of, _"Keith." _

Keith slumped back into his seat with a grouchy pout, crossing his arms. Lance had the fleeting thought that Keith could be the human embodiment of Grumpy Cat, and nearly laughed out loud at the mental image of the famous feline with a mullet and a leather jacket.

Allura cleared her throat pointedly. "Lance! Please stop daydreaming and pay attention to the task at hand!"

Lance straightened up immediately, but couldn't help his short, slightly-sarcastic reply of, "Sir, yes sir!"

Allura sighed, but turned back to the hologram once she was sure Lance was listening. "As I was saying, the Yakiden people are extremely posh, and take great pride in their looks. They hold balls almost every night, which often have competitions to settle who is the prettiest person there."

She flicked her wrist, and an image of an extremely tall alien was displayed. "This is your typical Yakiden."

_Holy Kaltenecker._

Lance was impressed, to say the least. The Yakiden had a human appearance, but with much larger eyes, an extremely hourglass-shaped physique, and beautiful lilac markings swirling all over any exposed, olive-shaded skin.

She was obviously a female, and her eyes were absolutely stunning, with perfect eyeliner accentuating her striking lavender-and-turqouise irises. She wore a flowing, sleeveless gown, a rich dark purple color with golden seams, and her long, mocha-brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, a few strands hanging loose to frame her face.

To finish the look, a silver tiara decorated with what looked like emeralds was perched delicately on her head.

In other words, she was absolutely beautiful and Lance could instantly tell that there was _no way _ he was gonna do any flirting on this planet because first of all, they were way, _way _ out of his league and secondly, if any of them flirted back he would literally die.

Then again, so far the only responses he'd gotten from his flirting were polite giggling, groans, or disgusted looks. He was pretty sure that if he even _spoke _ to one of these angels, he'd be arrested on the spot.

So, yeah. No to flirting.

Allura flicked her wrist again, and Lance breathed a quiet of relief as the image disappeared. "We have a week until we arrive at the planet, so before then, we need to begin planning. We all need to look our absolute best if we have a chance of gaining them as an ally in the Voltron alliance."

At this, both Pidge and Keith groaned very loudly. Pidge flopped forward and faceplanted into the table in despair, and Keith looked like he was seriously considering following her example.

"Do we _have _to?!" Pidge complained, the table muffling her voice. It didn't, however, muffle the huge waves of distress coming off of her.

Shiro looked like he was about to give one of his famous pep talks, but Lance jumped up and slammed his hands on the table in excitement. Sure, he wasn't the best looking person in the group, but he could at least have fun dressing up!

"C'mon Pidgey, it'll be fun!" he exclaimed, wiggling with pent-up energy.

Keith wrinkled his nose. "Of course you'd be excited about this. But honestly, will it really?"

Lance nodded enthusiastically. "Of course it will!" His head whipped over to Allura. "Allura!"

She blinked. "Yes?"

"You don't mind if I raid your closet, do you? I wanna find something for Pidge!"

Pidge groaned from the table, but Allura spoke over her. "Sure, but I don't think I have anything in her size."

Lance shrugged. "Eh, I'll figure it out." He turned to Coran. "Coran, you once told me there was a room with sewing equipment, right? Can you take me there once I borrow some of Allura's stuff?"

Coran twisted his mustache, before nodding. "Of course, Number Three! I can also show you some old men's clothing for the others, if you'd like."

Lance clapped his hands together. Perfect.

"Perfect!" he exclaimed out loud. "Shiro, Hunk, Keith, you don't mind if I make your outfits too, do you?"

Keith waved a hand in the air. "Knock yourself out, I couldn't care less."

Shiro hesitated. "Well, I don't know..."

Lance put on his best puppy-eyes, while Hunk set a hand on Shiro's shoulder. "You should probably let him - besides, he's pretty good with fashion."

Lance grinned as Shiro nodded with a sigh, then whirled back to Allura. "I'll get back to you on make-up and hair, but for now I've gotta start planning! C'mon, Coran!"

And with that, he practically skipped out of the room with the older Altean, mind already whirring with ideas and dreams. He couldn't mess this up.

His friends were counting on him, and by jove, he was gonna do a good job for once!

* * *

When Coran showed Lance the princess' walk-in closet, he had to stop and take a moment to admire the sheer amount of beautiful dresses, all piled up on shelves and hangars. Surprisingly, most of them looked like they were still brand-new, despite being 10,000 years old.

He waved for Coran to wait outside, then dove into the clothes. There were many different styles, but Lance knew that if he wanted to have Pidge cooperate for him, he couldn't force her into a dress. That wasn't her style.

He settled for grabbing a few different dresses in various shades of green, white, and silver, which he would use to make a completely unique outfit. He was thinking something along the lines of a mid-length skirt with leggings, and a hair accessory to top it off. Definitely nothing too fancy, but subtle enough that Pidge wouldn't complain.

He glanced around after passing the fabrics back out to Coran, and decided to leave a small pile of options behind for Allura. With all these clothes, certainly it would take forever for her to choose one. He left the dresses neatly stacked in the middle of the closet, just in case she was indecisive and wanted to take his opinion.

Then, he followed Coran into a different room with a just-as-spacious closet, this one filled with men's clothing. Hunk's outfit was fairly easy to pick out - Lance found some amazing yellow and orange clothes to use, and a pair of shoes to match. The colors weren't at all vibrant or blinding; instead, they were muted and warm, kinda like Hunk's personality.

Lance thought it was very fitting for his best friend.

Shiro's was a little harder, since Lance really didn't want to dress him up like some generic penguin. He ended up grabbing some black and white anyway, but added in some simple purple elements. He really hoped that the purple wouldn't trigger any Galra memories, and resolved to ask Shiro if it was okay before beginning his outfit.

Now, Keith was challenging. He didn't know Keith all that well, but since he was sticking with their lion's color scheme, he instantly reached for some red. After thinking on it, he grabbed some black and white to slip into the design, but would keep red the main element.

He decided not to worry about his own outfit for now, since his team was counting on him to finish theirs, and exited the closet with a smile to Coran.

Coran smiled back, but didn't move when Lance stepped forward to leave the room. He glanced back curiously, and the Altean twisted his mustache nervously.

"I was wondering," he started, "if you wouldn't mind fashioning me an outfit as well? I have many selections already, but...you certainly seem to know what you're doing, and I would like something new and unique to wear."

Lance grinned, while on the inside he wondered with dread how he would be able to pull all this off in the span of a week. "Yeah, of course!"

Coran brightened up at that, and Lance felt warm and fuzzy at the sight. He knew he would probably regret agreeing later, but that was Future Lance's problem.

He rummaged through the closet again, and picked out some cream as the base, with teal and ginger for accents. He knew for a fact that bright and colorful definitely screamed Coran, but he didn't want to make anyone blind.

Coran seemed to approve at his color choices, which made Lance relax a bit. It was nice that at least two people on the ship trusted him with this. Pidge and Keith couldn't care less, Allura was fully capable of choosing on her own, and Shiro was definitely doubtful in his abilities.

_What am I, chopped liver?_

Lance rolled his eyes at Blue's tease. _Blue, I meant the people who I'm making outfits for._

Green butt in with a snort. _You aren't making an outfit for the princess, and yet you mentioned her._

He sighed. _You know what I meant, you smart-alecks._

Red chuckled at that. _You're right, they are smart-alecks. _

_Hey! _ Both Blue and Green protested, and the other three lions laughed.

_But even though you are not making us outfits, you will still clean us, yes? _Black asked. _My Paladin means well, but he often forgets that we have needs too._

_Of course I will! _Lance answered enthusiastically. _I'll always make time for my favorite girls!_

_Uh-huh. And is Allura included in that? _Green questioned slyly, and Lance could almost _see _ the implied eyebrow wiggle.

He choked, cheeks flushing at the implication. _N-no, I just... Shut up! _ he snapped, face blazing as all the lions cackled.

Those cheeky little...

"Lance, are you feeling alright?" Coran asked, breaking Lance out of his murderous thoughts. "You seem a bit flushed."

He nodded frantically, brushing off the lions teasing comments. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." He quickly changed the subject. "Are we there yet?"

Coran nodded. "Almost! Just a few more hallways down!"

They walked the rest of the way in silence, while Lance furiously tried to stop blushing and warned the lions to stop while they were ahead, or else he'd only clean Yellow, since she was the only one not poking fun at his crush.

They all shut up pretty quickly once he told them that, although Yellow was still purring when Coran finally stopped in front of a door.

"Here we are! Have fun, Number Three, and remember that if you need me, you just have to shout!"

"Thanks, Coran," Lance said softly, beaming up at the older man in gratitude. Coran gave him a soft smile in return, then opened the door and walked in, Lance trailing behind him.

Coran set the clothes on what looked like an incredibly fancy metal table while Lance took in his surroundings. It was a fairly large room, about the size of Allura's, with a high ceiling. There were metal tables all around the place, with complicated-looking machines that Lance figured were for sewing sitting on some of them.

Instead of chairs, there were blue beanbags scattered about, and the back wall was absolutely covered in hanging tapestries, fabrics, and ribbons. The side walls were lined with shelves and cabinets, and Lance could only imagine what lay inside.

He gave Coran a small nod in acknowledgment as the Altean backed out of the room, and Coran waved before shutting the door behind him. Lance had the whole room to himself.

He rubbed his hands together. Now, where should he start...?

* * *

Lance was in the middle of using one of the Altean sewing machines to stitch together Hunk's pants (The lions had instructed him on how to use it, since he didn't want to bother Coran) when someone cleared their throat behind his back.

He nearly jumped off of his beanbag (he'd discovered that they adjusted to your body shape when you sat in them, so he wasn't too low to the ground), stopping the machine and whirling around with wide eyes. He relaxed when he realized it was only Shiro.

"Oh, hey Shiro. What's up?" he asked, setting his work aside despite the desire to keep going. This was his leader, and he needed to give him his full attention, no matter how badly he wanted to keep working.

Shiro gave him a worried frown. "You missed dinner, and Hunk was worried about you, so I decided to check in on you. You doing okay?"

"Dinner?" Lance repeated, blinking in disbelief. "I've been working that long?"

Actually, now that he thought about it, he _was _ feeling a bit hungry.

Shiro nodded in affirmation. "You should probably get something to eat."

Lance glanced at the open doorway, then back at Hunk's unfinished bottoms. Which was more important, food or making sure Hunk had the best outfit ever?

"I'm not that hungry, actually. Tell Hunk that I thank him for worrying, but I think I'm good."

Shiro's brow furrowed. "Um... okay... Hunk also wanted me to let you know that Allura found another one of those horrible Altean movies, and we're all going to watch it in the lounge in an hour or so."

Lance nodded dismissively, already turning back to the sewing machine. No matter how curious he was about the movie, these outfits were more important. "I'll pass. Don't wait up on me."

"You sure? I know how much you love bonding time-"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks for letting me know, though."

"...Okay..."

Lance didn't fully relax until he heard the door close.

* * *

Lance spent the next few days practically locked in the sewing room, only sleeping for a few hours at a time before getting right back to it, and only eating if someone brought him food. Luckily, the room also had a built-in bathroom, so he didn't have to leave to do his business.

(It also had a few facial products, so he didn't have to completely forgoe his usual nightly routine of taking care of his skin. His looks were still important; he didn't want to look like a complete zombie on the day of the ball.)

The lions were becoming increasingly concerned at his behavior, and yes, Lance was fully aware that he was acting like Pidge whenever she found a lead on her family, but he couldn't stop now. This was important, and he was determined to get it right.

Hunk, Pidge, and Coran's outfits were already finished by day three, and he was getting ready to start Keith's when the door burst open, and an angry green tornado rushed into the room, fiery determination blazing in those honey-brown eyes.

"Lance, get your quiznak out of this room and eat lunch with us. Right. Now."

Lance sighed, reaching for some bright red fabric and not even bothering to look up. "Pidge, I'm not hungry. I've still got things to do."

There was a huff, and then the fabric was snatched right out of his hands.

"Wha-?"

"Lance, you haven't eaten in fourteen hours. You need food to, I don't know, _live?!"_

Lance reached out to grab at the cloth. "Fourteen hours is nothing. C'mon Pidge, give that back!"

She took three deliberate steps backwards. "No."

That stubborn, little...

Lance growled under his breath, then lunged at her. She dodged smoothly, then darted out the door, waving the fabric like it was a flag. He followed, breaking into a sprint as she stayed just out of his reach, shooting playful insults back at him.

"Slowpoke!"

"You little... _Pidge! Get back here!"_

"How about no?"

She suddenly stopped after skidding around a corner, and Lance tackled her to the ground without a second thought. They scrambled around on the floor, both fighting for the piece of cloth, until someone cleared their throat.

Lance paused, keeping his grip tight as he glanced up. His face flushed a deep red as he realized that Pidge had tricked him into chasing her all the way into the dining room, where everyone else was seated and was now staring at them.

He grinned sheepishly, tugging the fabric away from Pidge's now-slack hands. "Uh... hi?"

Keith rolled his eyes. "He lives," he said dryly, before taking a bite of his food goo.

Lance carefully stood up from where he was pinning Pidge, pulling her up along with him. She brushed herself off, then grinned cheekily at the others.

"Told you I could get him out into the world of the living, Shiro. He literally does the same thing to me all the time."

Lance jolted as he realized that yes, he'd used that exact chase method on Pidge on more than one occasion. He sent her the evil eye, to which she continued to smile like she was completely innocent.

"You sly little gremlin, using my own tactics against me," he accused, without any real heat behind his words.

She stuck her tongue out childishly in response, before retreating to her own seat. Lance turned his attention to Shiro, who looked half-proud that Pidge had succeeded, and half-concerned about Lance's recent withdrawal.

There was an awkward, heavy pause.

"So... What'd you need me for?" Lance finally asked cautiously, fidgeting with the fabric. "Do we have team training today?"

Shiro gaped at him openly. "Training - what - no! We're worried about you, Lance! You've barely stepped out of that room for the past few days!"

"...Oh," Lance responded eloquently. Half of him was overjoyed that they actually cared about his well-being, but the other half was irritated that they were interrupting his concentration. Didn't they understand how important this was to him?

"Yeah, _oh," _ Hunk shot back, eyes stubbornly focused on his food as he stabbed it with his fork. Lance felt something akin to dread coil in his stomach at the vague response. Hunk was mad at him, for some reason.

He _hated _ when Hunk was mad at him.

"Uh... Hunk, buddy?" Lance tried for a casual tone, hoping no one noticed the slight quiver in his voice.

Hunk finally looked up, but his expression was completely flat, except for the slight furrow in his eyebrows. Lance resisted the strong urge to turn tail and run. "Yes?"

"Um... I have no idea what I did, but sorry?"

That was apparently the wrong thing to say. Hunk's eyes flared, and Lance nearly flinched at the way he slammed his hands on the table.

"You seriously _don't know?!" _ Hunk growled.

"Uh... No?" Lance offered timidly (and stupidly).

Hunk pinched the bridge of his nose with a long sigh. "Lance, _hermano, _we've talked about this. I know you're selfless and all, but you need to take care of yourself, too. Take a break."

Lance was shaking his head furiously before Hunk had even finished, rage pooling in his gut. "I can't! This is super important, and I _need _to finish in time! I can surivive, I've done this _plenty _ of times!"

Lance was fully aware that everyone was gaping in shock at the two of them, but couldn't bring himself to care. He was too busy staring his best friend down from across the room.

"We're _worried _ about you!" Hunk continued to argue. "Lance, you can't keep doing this to yourself!" He went quiet, face paling. "Please don't tell me you're..."

Lance paled as well. _"No!_ No no no, of course not! I'm doing this because I want to!" He flailed his arms around frantically. "Hunk, I'm fine, stop worrying about me!"

"Guys, why don't we all calm down..." Shiro tried to speak, but Hunk cut over him, voice raised significantly. "You're _not _ fine! And I'm your friend, I'm _supposed _ to worry about you!"

Lance sniffed, taking a step back. "Well then, stop! I don't need anyone worrying about me!"

"Lance, don't you dare-" Hunk began to warn him, but Lance was already out the door and halfway down the hall.

He dashed into the sewing room, shutting the door behind him and then locking it for good measure, in case anyone followed him. He leaned against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position and pulling up his knees to his chest with a shaky exhale.

He wasn't spiraling. He was fine. He was okay.

If he was being honest though, the only reason he hadn't spiraled yet was because the lions were always there to raise his spirits. Without them, he would've given in _weeks _ ago, maybe even months.

_That's nice and all, but don't you think the others should know so they can help, too?_

Lance sighed out loud. "Blue, I appreciate your worry, but you and the other lions have done more than enough for me already. I can't do that to them - they're my family!"

He didn't bother talking inside his head - he was certain that no one could hear him, unless they were pressing their ear against the door. It always felt freeing when he was alone, and he could just speak his mind out loud. It wasn't like there was anyone else around to judge him or think he was crazy.

Blue purred, trying to comfort him. _Yes, which is exactly why you should let them know the real reason you are so set on finishing these outfits. If they are your family, don't you think they do deserve to know? They are only worried, my cub. They mean no harm._

Lance felt tears burning in the corners of his eyes, and quickly buried his face into his knees in a desperate attempt to quell them. "I -I _know _ that, I just..."

He inhaled. "I-I'm _scared, _ Blue."

_I know, my cub._

Lance could feel himself cracking, and let the floodgates open without further preamble. He knew without a doubt that Blue was trustworthy, that Blue was _safe. _ She understood him, even if he sometimes wished she didn't.

"I-I'm scared that i-if I tell them, th-they'll realize how utterly _useless _I am! I-I couldn't _deal _ with that! Blue, I _am _ useless! I-I'm too p-pathetic to even _face _ them, let a-alone _talk _ to them!"

He choked on a sob, letting the tears run free. "Blue... I'm t-terrified that if I can't do _this _ right, I can't do _anything _ r-right."

His head instantly filled with heartfelt purring and nuzzling. He could _feel _ the warmth and comfort coming from all five lions.

_You are amazing, and never let anyone inform you otherwise._

_You deserve the universe and so, so much more, Blue's cub._

_You are special. You are loved. You are needed._

_We believe in you, Blue's precious Paladin. _

_My cub, you belong with us. If anyone tries to force you to leave, we will stop them, even if they are one of your family._

Lance couldn't stop the overjoyed smile spreading across his face as their affection surged through his entire body, making him feel completely safe and loved. He hadn't felt like this in years, back when his family was whole and happy, before he'd left for the Galaxy Garrison, and he was just now realizing how much he'd missed it.

_"...Thank you," _he breathed out, voice still thick with tears (Even if he didn't fully believe them).

_You're very welcome, _Yellow reassured gently. _It's the least we can do to cheer you up._

Lance wiped at his eyes, suddenly feeling self-conscious and embarrassed that he'd just had a breakdown over literally nothing. "Uh... I-I'd better get back to work now..."

Blue sniffed in disapproval. _I would prefer you to get some rest first. Why don't you come sleep with us tonight? You haven't visited in a while._

Lance straightened up in horror. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I've just been so busy with the outfits and my brain's kinda fuzzy because I haven't slept that much-"

_Calm down, there is no need to apologize. I just miss you, is all._

Lance took Blue's advice and relaxed his shoulders. "...Thanks, beautiful. But yeah, a good night's sleep with my favorite girls sounds fantastic."

To his relief, none of them made any passing remarks about Allura this time. Small victories.

_...You wouldn't mind singing to us, would you? _Yellow asked shyly. _I do love when you sing._

He shrugged in response, even though Yellow couldn't see it. "Sure, why not? Might as well let off some steam before I snap at someone again."

All five lions seemed to perk up at his agreement, and Blue even roared in excitement. Lance grinned widely at their enthusiasm.

His smile didn't fade for the rest of the night, even when he fell asleep in the embrace of his beloved lion, surrounded by the comforting noise of purring.

* * *

After that night, Lance was way more productive the next morning. He was almost finished with the final touches on Keith's coat when someone knocked on the door. Apparently, they hadn't realized yet that Lance had unlocked it hours ago.

"Come in!" he called over his shoulder, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he narrowly missed pricking his ring finger. He set the coat aside as the door slid open, and was unsurprised to see Hunk standing in the doorway, a plate of food goo in his hands.

"Uh... hi." Hunk moved forward cautiously, brandishing the platter out. "I, uh, brought you some lunch. I figured you were hungry by now."

Lance nodded at him just as cautiously. "Thanks. Just set it on the table. I gotta finish what I'm doing first."

Hunk did as he'd asked, then glanced around the room with one hand on his hip. "Huh. Nice room." His eyes flicked down to the coat. "Where are the outfits you've already done?"

Ah. Safe territory. Hunk was trying to get him to lower his guard. Lance decided to humor him for the time-being. He let a sly smile overtake his face.

"Oh, they're hidden. Can't have anyone peeking before they're done. But I can let you know that I'm almost done with them."

"Really?" Hunk sounded a bit more interested now, instead of just making conversation for the sake of familiarity. "How much have you gotten done?"

Lance picked up his needle and thread again. "Well, yours and Coran's are done, I just need to find Pidge a hair accessory, and I'm almost finished with Keith's. Then I'll have Shiro's to do. And don't even get me _started _ on the issue of hair and make-up. I don't even know if Alteans _have _ make-up! I mean, they've got all these awesome cosmetics for skin-care and what-not, but that won't cut it."

He jabbed the needle into Keith's coat with more force than necessary, then ran a hand down his face with a groan. "I'm sorry, Hunk, I'm just a little stressed. Don't worry, I'll have everything figured out by the end of the week, I promise."

Lance intently focused on his stitching, not realizing Hunk had knelt next to him until he felt a large hand settle on his shoulder. He glanced over to see mocha-brown eyes softened into a sad, yet understanding expression. "Lance..."

Blue's words from last night replayed in his mind, and Lance knew what he had to do, no matter how much his conscience was screaming at him not to. He at least owed Hunk an explanation.

He set his work down again, and instead folded his hands neatly in his lap, looking anywhere but Hunk's face. "Look, I know that me blowing up at you last night was totally rude and uncalled for, and I'm sorry for that."

He lifted a hand to stop Hunk's protest at the apology. "I _am._ It's just... I want to get this _right."_

He finally mustered up enough strength to stare Hunk in the eyes. "I-I _have _ to get this right," he whispered, and he hated how his voice cracked on the word _have._

Hunk sighed, then gently wrapped his arms around Lance. The Blue Paladin followed along with no resistance, leaning into his best friend and burying his head into the crook of Hunk's neck.

He felt Hunk's hands rubbing up and down his back, and suddenly felt a flash of embarrassment at how _pathetic _ he probably looked, hiding in Hunk's embrace like a scared child. Why did Hunk even put up with him half of the time?

_"Lo siento..." _Lance muttered thickly, starting to pull away as he lost his nerve. Hunk's arms, however, had different plans. They tightened around him, effectively keeping him in place.

"Hunk...?"

"I know what you're thinking, and I'm ordering you to _stop thinking it," _ Hunk commanded.

Lance smartly decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Lance, _hermano, _ even if you don't finish in time, we'll still love you for the loveable, friendly dork that you are. Stop trying so hard to prove yourself when you already have. But... if you're that determined..." Hunk paused, arms tugging Lance even closer into his chest.

"Then I can say without a shadow of a doubt that they'll be the best darn outfits at that ball."

Lance let out a muffled laugh at that, face still pressed into Hunk's shoulder. "You bet your butt they will," he answered, mustering up some of his long-lost confidence.

Hunk laughed as well, finally releasing Lance in exchange for pressing their foreheads together, a wide grin stretched across his lips. "There's the Lance I know and love."

Lance smiled back, all former traces of melancholy and hopelessness long gone. _"Gracias, _ Hunk. You're the best." His eyes sparkled mischeviously. "Don't tell Shiro, but I think you've got him beat when it comes to pep talks."

Hunk squinted, leaning back with his lips pursed in thought. "Eh, you think so? I don't know... The guy's our _leader, _ after all. It's basically his life's mission to give pep talks."

Lance snorted. "If that were true, he'd be handing out pep talks like they're free candy to literally everyone in the universe. Even _Zarkon."_

"Oh my gosh, I can only imagine what _that _ would be like."

Lance giggled as the scene played out in his mind. "Like, Shiro will just fly in on Black, _into _ the Galra's main base, and just straight up start scolding him about his horrible life choices, and about how _'unhealthy it is to be constantly obsessing over a giant sentient robot cat, Zarkon, like what the quiznak?!'"_

Hunk cackled at Lance's failed impression of Shiro, shaking his head in amusement. Lance, not done yet, grabbed Hunk's cheeks and forced him to make eye contact, trying to keep his face completely straight. "But seriously, what is _up _ with that?! Black has made it _infinitely _ clear that Shiro is her Paladin now - why can't Zarkon just suck it up and move on?! Like, geez, get a life, dude! She _definitely _ won't take you back if you _kidnap _ her!"

Lance threw his arms up in the air, grinning victoriously as Hunk laughed so hard that tears began forming in his eyes. There was more laughter echoing inside his head - from Black, Lance presumed, since he was talking about her.

Hunk finally calmed down enough to speak, wiping at his eyes. "Aw, I missed this. Just the two of us, having bro time."

It was only meant to be a simple comment - Lance knew that, Hunk was only trying to be nice - but his heart still stung. He swallowed, biting his lower lip in shame. "Sorry, Hunk. I was just... kinda focused on getting this done, ya know?"

Hunk gave him a lopsided smile. "Yeah, I know. I do the same thing when I'm trying to perfect a recipe. But..." His eyes softened into something more serious. "Just know that we worry about you, okay?"

Lance nodded sluggishly, ready to be done with the heart-to-heart and eat the food goo Hunk had so-graciously brought in for him. "Yeah, yeah." He reached for the plate. "Thanks, _hermano."_

Hunk stood up from his awkward kneeling postion, keeping one hand on Lance's shoulder. "You're welcome." He made to leave, but paused halfway to the door. "Hey, would it be okay if you joined us for dinner later? Please? We miss you."

How could Lance say no to those puppy-eyes?

* * *

Lance managed to finish Keith's outfit and was beginning to map out Shiro's when Keith's head poked through the doorway.

"Hey, Lance. Hunk says that it's dinnertime, and you need to, 'Get your quiznak down there or else you won't get any space spaghetti.'"

Lance immediately ditched the black fabric in his hands to the side, popping to his feet like a jack-in-the-box. "Wait, spaghetti?!"

Keith shrugged. "Apparently. He wants you to have the first taste."

Lance clapped his hands together obnoxiously. "Yes! Bless Hunk, the angel! C'mon mullet, what're we waiting for?!"

Keith raised an eyebrow pointedly. "Well, technically everyone's waiting for _you, _so..."

Lance roughly pushed past him and into the hallway, breaking into a sprint. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" he shouted over his shoulder in challenge.

He relished in the spark of competitiveness in Keith's violet eyes before he skidded around the corner and gave it all he got. He may have had the advantage, but he knew from experience that Keith was pretty darn fast. His best bet now would be to take shortcuts and hope Keith didn't follow.

He reached the dining room in record time, bursting in with his arms in the air as he shrieked at the top of his lungs, _"Ha! Suck it, Keith!"_

He cackled maniacally as Pidge fell out of her chair in shock, Allura dropped her fork, and Coran jumped to his feet as well, copying Lance's stance.

"Yes! That's right, Keith!" Coran crowed. "Suck it!"

The fact that Coran obviously had no idea what he was saying only spurred on Lance's hysterics, making him laugh so hard he had to wrap both arms around his stomach and lean forward as he gasped for breath.

He didn't even get a chance to recollect himself before Keith came barreling in like a demented bull, smashing into Lance's back and sending them both to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Lance, still laughing, smacked at Keith's flailing arms without making any effort to get up, too spent to try.

"Ha, I won!" Lance panted once they'd calmed down, lying next to each other on the floor. "Suck it, mullet!"

_"Yeah, suck it!" _ came the distant echo of Coran, his arms still in the air.

Keith's eyebrow rose, but Lance could still see the edges of a smirk on his face. "Yeah, whatever. At least I'm not a dirty cheater."

Lance gasped much louder than necessary, clasping a hand over his chest as he rolled away. _"Keith! _ How _dare _you even _suggest _ such a thing! I would _never!"_

Keith sat up, not even bothering to hide his smirk anymore. "Uh-huh," he drawled, _"sure_ you wouldn't. I know you took a shortcut, _cheater."_

Lance sniffed, collapsing back to the floor with a cry of pain. "My _heart. _ It _hurts. _ I'm _dying!"_

"Yeah, well, stop dying if you want some space spaghetti," Pidge muttered, still rubbing her behind from her fall earlier. "And you could at least give us a _little _ warning next time, before we all die of heart attacks."

"Sorry," Lance and Keith apologised in unison, then spun and pointed at each other. "Jinx!"

Shiro merely sighed in exasperation and rubbed his temples, while Coran questioned in curiosity, "What is a heart attack?"

* * *

After getting the okay from Shiro for adding some purple into his outfit, Lance spent most of the next day finishing up, tightening seams, and cutting any loose threads left on the clothes. However, the work wasn't finished yet.

Lance then approached Allura about the issue of make-up and hair, and even went so far as to ask if she had a jewelry box he could raid. He still needed that hair accessory for Pidge - not to mention that he was planning on putting Keith's hair into a ponytail, if the hot-head let him.

Lance hadn't needed to be worried. Allura was just as excited about the ball as he was, and eagerly catered to his every request. She even thanked him for the pile he left in her closet, having chosen one of the dresses he'd recommended, and asked if he could do her hair, since she wasn't the best at doing it herself.

He was once again a flurry of activity, except this time, he didn't seclude himself. He'd learned his lesson, and the others made absolutely sure he didn't forget it, popping in every so often to remind him to eat and take breaks.

Exactly one day and twelve varga before the fateful trip to the planet of Yakido, however, Lance remembered something _very _ important that he'd overlooked in his rush.

He'd forgotten to make himself an outfit.

* * *

_"Quiznak!" _Lance cursed out loud in the middle of breakfast, fork dropping with a clatter to the floor as he resisted the strong urge to face-plant into his food goo. _How could he have forgotten?! He was so stupid!_

"Lance?" Shiro asked, abandoning his usual response of, _"Language," _when he realized how distressed Lance was. "You okay?"

_"No!" _ Lance shrieked, pulling at his hair in a panic as he shoved his chair away from the table and stood up. "Nothing is okay!"

Again, how could he be so _stupid?! _

"Dude, calm down," Pidge muttered grumpily from her seat, slouched over in a way that did _not _ look good for her back. "Stop overreacting."

Lance balked at that, mouth clamping shut. She was right - he was overreacting. The important thing was that he'd gotten theirs done. So what if he was forced to sit this one out if his outfit wasn't the best? It would be fine - it wasn't like he'd be of any use down there anyway.

Lance forced himself to chuckle dryly, sitting back down. "Yeah, sorry about that. Just... realized something, is all."

Keith peered over a forkful of goo, violet eyes still foggy with sleep. "Uh-huh. What, did you forget to brush your teeth or something?"

Keith and Pidge both laughed at the jab, leaning over the table to high-five. Lance was grateful no one was looking in his direction, or they might've caught the flash of hurt on his face before he could hide it away with another fake chuckle.

"Ha, yeah, something like that." He cleared his throat, getting to his feet again with his half-eaten breakfast. "Well, I'm not that hungry. I'll be in the sewing room. Come get me when it's lunch time."

"You sure?" Hunk, bless his soul, piped up, eyeing the plate. "It doesn't look like you ate much."

Lance rolled his eyes good-naturedly, wiggling the platter. "Well, I'm sorry that food goo isn't exactly my idea of the perfect breakfast. Don't worry, I'll come down for lunch."

With Hunk pacified, Lance took his leave. As soon as the dish was scraped clean and washed, he made a beeline for the room that Coran had taken him to for the men's clothing, set on finding at least some decent blue fabric to use.

Since he was running on a time-constraint, he wouldn't be able to design anything fancy, which was a shame. He would probably stick out like a sore thumb at the ball, next to his glamorous teammates. Oh well.

That was just the way the cookie crumbled, he supposed.

He managed to finish the outfit by midnight, despite taking breaks for lunch, dinner, and the bathroom. He wasn't exactly pleased by it, but it was the best he could do, under the circumstances.

_It looks lovely, _Blue purred approvingly in his mind.

Lance snorted, holding up the clothes to the light and making sure he didn't miss any flaws or mistakes. "You're just saying that because it's your color."

_...Well, you aren't wrong, _she admitted sheepishly. _But still, the craftsmanship is-_

"Shoddy," Lance interrupted with a self-depricating frown, picking at a loose thread. "At best, it could pass for something a Yakiden _peasant _ would wear."

His brain was instantly filled with the disapproving growling of five very angry lions before he'd even finished speaking.

_Blue Paladin, you can pull off anything! Don't sell yourself short! _Green complained.

_Yeah! _ Yellow chimed in, followed by a warm purr of agreement from Black.

_Stop being an idiot and putting yourself down, _ Red hissed. _It looks great!_

Lance laughed wetly at their compliments and set his outfit down, wiping at his eyes. He'd done enough crying for the week. "Thanks, girls. Have I ever told you how much I love you all?"

_On multiple occasions, _ Black stated affectionately. _And you should know that the feeling is mutual. You are a part of our pride, after all._

Lance pressed his palms into his closed eyelids so harshly he saw spots, while his heart swelled with joy at Black's words. "Stop, or else I'll start crying!"

_It's a perfectly natural reaction, cub. Do not be ashamed to cry._

"Oh my gosh, Yellow, _stop!"_

_I think that's enough, _Blue laughed. _But we aren't kidding when we say that you are part of the pride._

_Okay, I'm done with all this sappy stuff! _ Green cut in. _Why don't you come down here and give us that scrub you promised us?_

Lance agreed with her, draping the completed outfit over the last mannequin, next to the others. "Yeah, that sounds like a great stress-reliever. I'll be down in a tick."

* * *

The next morning, after sleeping in Blue's cockpit for a few hours after cleaning the lions until they sparkled, Lance was so hyped up he couldn't stay still for more than a minute.

He practically inhaled his food at breakfast, then waited impatiently for everyone to finish theirs so he could drag them to the sewing room and show off their outfits. Allura was just as excited as he was, almost bouncing in her seat as they discussed last-minute hair and make-up ideas.

"Alright then, Lance, let's go," Shiro finally, _finally _ announced as soon as all the dishes were put away.

"Yes!" Lance cheered, leaping out of his seat and grabbing Pidge's wrist, since she looked like she was still half-asleep and could use some waking up.

(Normally, Lance wouldn't have dared to look at Pidge, let alone touch her when she was in her early-morning haze, but today was a special day.)

"Hey-" she began to protest, but Lance had already tugged her out the door and was borderline sprinting down the hall, eyes bright with enthusiasm. He was completely aware that the others were following close behind, and couldn't help his giddy smile when he opened the door to the sewing room and entered.

He dropped Pidge's arm and strode up to the large sheet that concealed the clothes, turning and waiting as everyone piled inside. He was pleased to note that everyone looked at least a little curious as to what was underneath.

He cleared his throat, willing away any leftover nerves. This was it - he was about to show them what he'd worked so hard on for the past week. Hopefully they were satisfied.

_Of course they will be, _ Blue whispered in the back of his mind. _You did well._

Lance's smile broadened at the silent support, then grabbed one edge of the cloth. "Well, here goes nothing..." he muttered under his breath.

"Without further adieu," he announced proudly, "your outfits!"

He tugged on the sheet, whipping it away from the mannequins with flourish and hiding behind it so they wouldn't see his flushed face.

There were a series of gasps, and after waiting a few ticks, Lance chanced a peek over the fabric. He was delighted by the scene that met his eyes.

Allura was squealing and jumping up and down, clapping her hands despite the fact that he hadn't even made her one. He almost laughed at how childlike she was acting - it was endearing to see the usually-serious princess loosening up.

But the thing that _did _ make him laugh was the sight of Coran following Allura's example and squealing along, smoothing out the creases in the fabric of his outfit that Lance had missed.

Shiro was looking over his outfit thoughtfully, one hand rubbing his chin. His sparkling eyes betrayed his excitement, as did the slight upward tilt of his lips. Keith was examining his as well, rubbing his fingers over the leathery fabric of the coat. He was also smiling, a rare gesture that Lance treasured.

Pidge had pulled her skirt off the mannequin and was holding it up to her body with raised eyebrows of surprise, grinning widely. Lance was relieved that the proportions were correct - it had cost him a lot of space cheese to bribe the mice into getting him everyone's sizes.

"How did you-?" she began to ask, curious honey-brown meeting ocean-blue, but before she could finish, someone swept Lance into the air and into a bone-crushing hug. Lance squeaked in surprise, breath leaving his mouth in a whoosh as the sheet fell from his slack hands.

_"Hermano, _ you're _amazing! Gracias!"_

Lance laughed breathlessly, attempting to reach a hand forward to pat his best friend comfortingly on the back. _"De nada, _ Hunk. Now, can you let me go before my spine cracks?"

"Oh, right!" Lance suddenly dropped to the floor unceremoniously. He just barely caught himself on Hunk's arms, knees buckling under the sudden movement.

"Geez, I only got a few hours of sleep last night!" Lance joked, steadying himself. "Give a guy a little warning next time!"

Hunk frowned down at him in sudden concern. "A few hours? What were you doing up so late?"

Lance cleared his throat self-consciously as he realized that everyone was staring at them. He took a few wobbly steps back. "Well, I had to make my own outfit, not to mention clean the lions."

He paused, eyes flicking between his teammates. "Speaking of the lions, do you guys _ever _ clean them? Green had, like, three layers of dust, and Red wasn't much better!"

_No, she does not, _ came Green's mournful response. The other lions didn't have to say anything - it was obvious enough by the guilt and bewilderment on his team's faces.

His mouth dropped open. "Are you _serious? _ They have needs, too! Haven't they told you that?"

There was an awkward cough from Green. _Well, we haven't exactly had the time to bond. My cub is always busy with her technology._

Lance rubbed his temples. "Okay, so _none _ of you hang out with your lions every once in a while?!"

Keith raised an eyebrow. "And why would we? They're giant robots, Lance."

Lance was extremely tempted to punch Keith in his stupid nose for that comment, but let it slide at Red's warning growl. However, she couldn't hide the slightly hurt whine that escaped her.

He sighed heavily, body slumping forward. "Is... Is that really all that you think of her? Of all of them?" He searched for a sign that Keith was just kidding, that he didn't believe that Red was only a battleship, to be used for fighting and fighting only.

"Well, yeah?" Everyone's heads snapped to Pidge. "I mean, I was literally able to upgrade the Green Lion and give her a temporary invisibility cloak. She barely even communicates with me unless it's in battle."

Hunk shrugged. "She's got a point. I mean, Yellow's incredibly sweet and all, when she does communicate, but it doesn't happen often. Usually only in battle, when it's necessary. I wish she did it more, though."

Shiro nodded along, much to Lance's sprouting horror. "Black and I have a mutual understanding when we're fighting, but other than that, nothing much else happens."

Lance's mouth dropped open in sudden revelation. _This was why the other lions hung out in his brain so often. Their own Paladins didn't even check in on them._

_They were lonely._

The awkward silence from the lions spoke volumes.

"Wait, your guy's lions speak to you outside of fighting?"

Lance's hands curled into fists.

"Yeah, sometimes. Why? Does Red not?"

Maybe it was because of his sleep-deprivation, or maybe it was because of all the emotional trauma he'd gone through that week, Lance didn't know. But he couldn't stop himself from seeing red.

"Um, not really. And it isn't even words, it's more like ideas, like what Lance described back when we first found Blue."

He snapped.

_"Stop talking about my girls like that!"_

Six pairs of startled eyes blinked at him.

Lance inhaled shakily, running a hand through his hair as he shut his eyes in regret. "Sorry, sorry." He wasn't even sure who he was apologizing to. "I just... really can't deal with this right now, or else I might shoot something."

He gestured at the outfits blindly. "Can we just... have a nice fashion show, and discuss this later, when I'm _not _ about to have a mental breakdown? _Por favor?"_

A pair of warm, steady hands settled on his shoulders. Lance almost flinched away, before remembering that it would probably just make everyone worry even more. He had an audience - he couldn't let himself slip more than he already had.

No matter how much it hurt, he couldn't let his aloof, carefree facade fall flat and show them how weak he was underneath. They'd kick him off the team for sure.

Blue snarled. _Cub, we've been over this. If anyone tries to force you away, so help me I will rip them apart limb by limb in front of everyone on this ship, and then their head for good measure, to make sure they're dead._

Lance _probably_ should've been horrified by this exclamation, but all he could think was, _What about Shiro? He's got a metal arm - I don't even know if he can take that thing off._

_We'll make do, _ Red promised darkly. _Don't worry._

_Whoa, maybe we should all just calm down, _ Yellow warned, always the pacifist. _The limb-ripping is a bit much._

A short pause.

_Head-chewing, on the other hand..._

Lance gave himself a mental reminder to never tick off Yellow. He always forgot how similar the lions and their Paladins were; Hunk could be absolutely _terrifying _ when he was mad at someone who hurt one of his friends, and Lance had no doubt that Yellow was the same.

Speaking of Hunk...

Lance's eyes opened again, and he managed a weak grin up at his best friend. "I-I'm okay now, sorry. Can we just... talk about this later? Because we only have about... eight varga left before the ball, and we _really _ need to start getting ready."

"Sorry, but _eight varga?!" _ Pidge repeated, straightening her glasses. "That's plenty of time to get ready!"

Lance and Allura shared a knowing look, before Lance stepped towards Pidge and ruffled her hair. "That's because _you _ have never dressed up in your entire life, Pidgey," he teased lightly, the somber mood instantly dissipating.

Pidge swatted his hand away with a scowl. "Yes, I have!" she rebutted. "Believe it or not, I've actually worn a dress or two in my lifetime!"

Lance was tempted to dramatically swoon and declare that it was the end of the world, but they'd already wasted enough time.

"Oh, Pidgey, Pidgey, Pidgey..." He drawled, shaking his head as though something tragic had happened, "This is different. Much, _much _different."

Keith turned to Shiro. "Why do I suddenly have a foreboding sense of dread...?"

Lance snickered, then skipped over to Allura and threw his arms in the air. She copied him half a beat later, catching on quickly as they both shouted in excited unison, _"Makeover time!"_

Hunk clapped along, grinning like mad, while Keith buried his face in his hands in misery and Shiro rubbed his back with a pitying expression.

Allura rubbed her hands together in anticipation, multi-colored eyes scanning the room. Her lips curved into a wicked grin. "So, Lance, who do you think should be our first victim?"

Lance made a show of rubbing his non-existent beard, the other hand on his hip. "Hmmm... I think we should go with..." He pointed flamboyantly at his chosen one.

"Shiro, whaddya say?! Get on over here, fearless space dad!"

Shiro rolled his eyes at the nickname, but obediently walked over to Lance and Allura. He crossed his arms. "How exactly is this going to go?"

Lance and Allura shared matching, shark-like grins.

* * *

Shiro was fairly easy to get ready - he already knew how to do his own make-up (Lance _really _ needed to ask him how he did his eyeliner, because _dang, _those _wings_), and the suit wasn't too much of a hassle to put on.

Lance had made Shiro a two-piece suit, much like a typical, black-and-white earth tuxedo. The only differences were the light purple bowtie, the open jacket exposing the white shirt underneath, which had a black Voltron symbol stitched neatly in the center, and the fake, fabric Juniberry stuffed in the jacket's lapel, which Lance had pulled together as a last-minute project when he'd realized he had a _ton _ of leftover materials.

Lance and Allura pushed him into the lounge as soon as they'd finished going over the outfit for any last flaws, and instructed him to wait there until further notice.

And so it went with the others.

Keith took a bit of persuading, but eventually he relented at Lance and Allura's combined efforts with the puppy-eyes, and slipped his outfit on with a scrunched face.

His gave off more 'emo, royal vibes,' as opposed to Shiro's simple, fancy one. It was a two-piece, but the fiery-red coat also had a flowing cape attached to the back. Lance had made sure not to make it too long, for movement and fighting purposes in case anything went wrong. The black pants were also extremely flexible, but it was almost impossible to tell, unless Keith randomly dropped into the splits for some reason.

The tight shirt to go underneath the coat also had a bright-red Voltron symbol emblazoned in the middle, a sharp contrast to the black surrounding it.

Keith seemed pleased enough by the design, but when it came to make-up and hair, he was absolutely obstinate. He only allowed Allura to do some basic make-up on his face, and out-right refused to even fathom the possibility of letting Lance do his hair - that is, until Lance asked if he was a chicken.

Keith was soon shoved into the lounge with his hair pulled up in a messy, yet stylish ponytail. Lance could hear loud laughter and a yell of, _"Shiro, I swear, if you don't stop-" _ as he and Allura headed back to the sewing room.

Pidge was, surprisingly, incredibly compliant. She absolutely loved her outfit, thanking Lance again and again for _not _ forcing her to wear a dress, even if it was still a skirt.

Her outfit consisted of a white t-shirt with a Voltron logo neatly sewn on the chest, a short, lime-green skirt that went down to her knees with suspender-like straps connected to it that wrapped around her shoulders, a pair of dark-green leggings, and finally, a twisted tiara that resembled a flower crown, only with leaves.

Make-up proved to be challenging, however, as Pidge blatantly expressed her dislike of taking off Matt's glasses, even if it was only for a few doboshes. Once reassured that yes, she could wear them to the ball, she settled down considerably.

They had a slight mishap where Allura made the tragic mistake of calling Pidge, 'cute' once they'd finished and taken a step back, and the little gremlin had promptly launched herself at the princess, teeth bared. Lance split them apart before any real damage was done, thank goodness, but Pidge's hair had to be redone, eating up precious minutes.

Hunk proved to be no trouble at all, and his sprucing-up didn't take up much time. He was familiar with make-up, having let Lance do it on multiple occasions back at the Garrison, and had no qualms with his outfit. He claimed that anything his best friend did was perfect, to which Lance blushed furiously and refuted, which then led to a slightly-heated arguement that ended quickly when Allura ganged up with Hunk and Lance knew he'd lost.

Hunk's clothes were similar to Keith's, only the material was silkier, and his cape was longer and more flowing. The collar was also lower, since Hunk didn't have as long of a neck as the Red Paladin, and he also had a fake Juniberry tucked delicately into his lapel.

...Lance _might've _ gotten carried away with the Altean flowers - he had at least a dozen more just laying on one of the tables in the sewing room. He'd been too busy talking with the lions to really pay attention to what his hands were doing. But it was fine; he was sure he could find a good use for them!

After Hunk came Coran. The mustachioed adviser was just as pleasant as Hunk, and gave Lance and Allura no problems, which Lance was grateful for. They only had about four varga left before they had to leave, and he still wanted to do Allura's hair, which would take a while, given the sheer amount of it.

Coran's outfit was also tuxedo-based, but with a billowing, colorful cape to complete the over-the-top look Lance was going for. If Edna Mode were here, she'd blow her stack at how much of a hazard the thing was, but Lance didn't particularly care. He was going for style, not practicality like Keith and Hunk's.

Allura did most of Coran's make-up, since she'd used to practice on him all the time back so when she was younger, much to Lance's surprise. He'd known the two were close, but not _that _ close. No wonder Coran was always hovering around her like a mother-hen.

The mention of the past brought back some unwanted memories, however, so Lance kept flinging out horrible pick-up lines until the melancholy mood was gone and he had the two Alteans laughing so hard he was forced to stop before Coran ruined his freshly-done make-up.

Allura and Lance had a short debate over who would go next, which ended in Lance teaching Allura how to play rock-paper-scissors, and Allura almost cutting Lance's fingers off when she brandished real scissors instead of the hand-motion.

Much to her chagrin, and Lance's delight, however, he won, and quickly pushed her into the bathroom to get changed into her dress. He was hyped to see which one she'd picked, and was bouncing on his toes with impatience as she took her time - on purpose, he suspected. Probably just out of spite, since she hadn't won on her first try at a simple Earth game.

When she stepped out, Lance stopped breathing.

She wore a feathery, light-pink dress, with a modest V-neckline and a baby-blue Voltron insignia on her chest. The dress itself flowed down to her ankles, with a slit running up her left leg and ending mid-thigh, for both movement and style purposes. The sleeves were long and elegant, and ended around her wrists; not too tight, but not too loose, either.

Lance blamed his stupid brain for the involuntary pick-up line that slipped out of his mouth.

"Am I dead? Because _baby, _ you look like an angel from heaven."

Red and Green wolf-whistled in the back of his mind.

_Kill him now._

Lance was too mortified with himself to do anything as Allura raised a perfect eyebrow and _oh quiznak, he was screwed._

"I'm sorry, but what's an angel?"

Suddenly, Lance could breathe again.

"O-oh, d-don't worry about it! I-it's nothing! S-sorry... "

The eyebrow raised even higher. "Why are you apologizing? Is it a bad thing?"

Nevermind, Lance's heart had officially stopped. He was dead now. All because he couldn't keep his big fat mouth shut. Bring his body back to Earth and tell his family he loved them.

_Geez, you're so dramatic._

_Shut up, Green. Respect the dead._

_You aren't dead._

_Shhhh..._

* * *

After a rollercoaster of emotions (and properly informing Allura on what an angel was), Lance had calmed down enough to start working on her hair. He decided on braiding it, since Allura's hair was very similar to his sister Rachel's, so he'd had a ton of practice with braiding.

About halfway through, Lance had the fabulous idea of using the leftover Juniberry flowers and weaving them into the braid. Allura approved whole-heartedly, and after about half a varga of hard work, Allura's beautiful white hair was trailing down her back in a thick braid, with flowers pinned inside so they wouldn't fall out.

Afterwards, Allura insisted that she could do her own make-up, and ordered Lance to go change into his less-than-stellar outfit. He obeyed without complaint. How could he argue with that pretty face?

As he pulled on his top and examined himself in the mirror, he sighed with dread. All his friends looked so beautiful, and then there was him. He wasn't anything special.

A long sigh. _Cub._

"I know, Blue, I know..." he grumbled under his breath. "Not my fault my brain hates me."

Green snorted. _Well, we don't hate you, and technically we're in your brain._

"Not the point, Green." He paused, then added for good measure, "You smart-aleck."

There was an indignant noise from Green, and a snicker from Red, and then a smacking sound resonated through Lance's skull, making him jump.

_Quiet, you two, _ Black scolded. _And cub, stop antagonizing the younger ones._

Now _that _ threw Lance for a loop. "Wait, they're the youngest?! I thought you were all the same age!"

_Nope! _ Yellow purred smugly. _Green's the youngest, then Red, then Blue, then me, and then Black, of course._

"Hey!" Lance exclaimed in surprise. "Blue, you're a middle child too, like me! How weird is that?"

_There is no such things as coincidences, my young cub, _ Blue said mysteriously. Lance suddenly had a fleeting moment of deja vu, as though he'd heard that line from a movie. He wondered whether Blue had stolen it, but quickly rejected the thought. It wasn't the time to think about dumb questions.

He glanced at himself in the mirror one last time, smoothing out his hair a bit. "Welp, wish me luck. Hopefully I don't make a fool of myself in front of Allura."

_Oh? I'm pretty sure she already thinks you're a fool, _ Red teased, not unkindly.

"Hush, you!"

The lions laughed at his flustered reaction, and sunk back to the corners of his mind so he could give himself a tiny mental pep-talk before stepping out to face the princess.

As if she could read his thoughts, Allura knocked on the door. "Are you ready yet, Lance?"

He cleared his throat. "Y-yeah, just give me a tick! I'll be right out!"

"Alright..." her impatient voice drifted away from the door as she stepped back.

Lance cracked his knuckles nervously, reaching out to grasp the doorknob. "Here goes nothing..." he breathed, before twisting his hand and stepping boldly through the doorway.

He smiled self-consciously at Allura, spreading his arms. "Uh, ta-da?"

He was wearing a long, robe-like outfit, with blue fabric draping down his legs and arms, hanging loosely above his wrists and ankles. It was all one piece, although the bottoms connected in the middle to form pants, hidden underneath layers of the blue and white material which strongly resembled a dress. (Lance preferred to refer to it as a robe - they were more manly and cool than dresses.)

There were openings near the top of the garb to show off his bare shoulders, and the neckline was low enough for his collarbone to peek through. To finish it off, Lance had also sewn a light-blue Voltron symbol on his chest, a small detail that didn't take the attention off the rest of the outfit, but completed the whole Voltron-aspect Lance had been leaning for.

"I know, I know, it isn't the best..." he muttered, fidgeting with the fabric. "It could use a _lot _ more detail, but I was running out of time, and -"

"Lance, you look amazing!"

Allura's exclamation interrupted his nervous rambling, and he blinked at her in delayed surprise. "...Sorry, what?"

Allura rolled her eyes, then reached a hand forward to rub one of the sleeves between her fingers gently. Lance was suddenly _very _ aware of how close she was, and how adorable her face got when she examined something closely, her nose scrunching up and lips pursing. He furiously fought down his rising blush as she opened her mouth to speak again, hoping frantically that she hadn't noticed how his heart had picked up speed.

"These colors goes wonderfully with your skin tone, not to mention how beautiful the material is," she stated matter-of-factly. "It's very unique, and therefore so very _you."_ She stepped away, much to Lance's relief - or disappointment, he wasn't too sure.

"All in all, you did _fantastically!" _ she continued complimenting, seemingly unaware of Lance's internal crisis as he struggled with the urge to faint of happiness. He didn't even know if that was even a thing, but if Allura didn't stop, it was pretty much inevitable. "I will never doubt your skills again!"

...Okay, and that put a damper on his mood. She meant well, but it still hurt that she'd essentially just admitted that she'd doubted his abilities. It was completely illogical, but then again, his brain didn't care whether something was illogical or not, as long as it could be twisted to hurt his feelings.

Luckily, if Allura noticed that Lance's smile suddenly became more strained, she didn't mention it. Instead, she clapped her hand and gestured for him to come over. "Sit down, I've got to do your make-up and hair."

He jolted. "Uh... I thought I was doing that stuff myself?"

"You thought wrong." She grabbed at his arm impatiently. "Sit. We've only got about a varga and a half, and besides, you did _my _ hair. It's only fair that I get to do yours."

He raised an eyebrow, but took a seat anyway. "And the make-up?"

She popped up in front of his face with a smug smile. "Payback for not letting me win your little earth game." She darted away as quickly as she'd appeared, as quick as a fox.

Lance choked, suddenly _very _ scared. "Allura, I swear if you give me black lipstick-"

"Not making any promises!" she sing-songed from behind his back.

_"Allura-!"_

* * *

Fortunately for Lance, Allura did _not _ give him black lipstick. She _did, _however, threaten to draw a fake mustache if he wouldn't stop shifting around.

He was _really _ tempted to protest to that, because _come on! _If _she _ had a super-hot person doing her make-up and getting all in her face, he bet that she'd be squirming around too!

Of course, _that _ thought only led to the lions teasing him mercilessly and questioning him about _how hot, exactly, did he think Allura was? Volcano-hot? The-center-of-the-Sun-hot? Hotter than Red?_

Which quickly dissolved into an argument over whether Allura was hotter than Red. Blue and Green were on one team, Red and Black on the other, and poor Yellow was left in the middle, where she kept trying to convince the others that they were both equally hot.

By some miracle, Lance didn't end up slamming his head into the table. He gave himself extra points for not melting into a puddle of goo when _Allura's_ _hand _stayed on_ his cheek _ forlonger than a few ticks,once she'd announced that she was done_._ He definitely felt like his face was burning off, though.

Allura, after having him stand in the middle of the room and circling him like a vulture, clasped her hands together in satistfaction. "There we go! You look absolutely stunning, Lance!"

Lance, being absolutely trash at accepting compliments, simply leaned forward and gave her a flirty wink. "Not as stunning as you are, my lady."

Instead of groaning, like he'd expected, Allura laughed cheerfully and waved a hand through the air. "Thank you, Lance. But seriously, you really do look nice. Do you think you could lend me some of those skin products you use? They really are effective; your skin feels amazing!"

Taken aback by the sudden turn in events, Lance nodded simply. "Y-yeah, sure!"

Allura gave him a beaming smile, and Lance almost melted. He firmly decided that it was now his life mission to make Allura smile like that more, because _holy crow, _ that much beauty should be _illegal._

Allura took a step back and nodded her head at the door. "Shall we? I'm fairly certain that the others are still waiting for us."

Lance grinned, snapping out of his daze and following her as she left the room. "Yeah, poor Shiro," he quipped lightly. "He's been sitting in there for who-knows how long!"

They both shared a laugh over that, their mirth echoing off the hallway's walls as they ventured further into the castle.

Allura tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if he actually stayed in the lounge the entire time, though... I do not know him well enough to assume anything." She turned to him. "Any thoughts, Lance?"

Lance startled at the fact that she was adressing him (him!), before humming nonchalantly. "I'm not sure... I feel like he'd leave when he got hungry and stuff, but came back immediately afterwards. Probably gave the others the same instructions."

"Hmm, what about the others?"

Lance snorted, counting everyone on his fingers. "Well, I bet Shiro has his hands full with trying to keep Keith from hiding in the training room and ruining his clothes. Pidge is probably either in the lounge with her laptop, or in her lab, and I imagine that Coran is attempting to regale everyone with stories from his younger days. As for Hunk, he's either making snacks for us before we leave, or he's trying to be polite and listening to Coran."

He jumped in surprise when Allura stopped to stare at him, her multi-colored eyes wide. "You know your teammates well," she noted, her tone colored with a hint of... was that admiration?

Lance blinked. "Well, yeah. We're a team," he pointed out dumbly. "Aren't we supposed to know how each other's thought processes work? That's kinda how a team works - knowing what makes each other tick, and trusting one another."

Allura nodded slowly, beginning down the hall again. "I suppose you are right. That's... actually very wise of you, Lance."

_"Actually?" _ Lance repeated playfully, nudging her shoulder with his own. "Aren't I always wise?"

"That's debatable."

"Excuse me, rude much?!"

They exchanged hostile glares for a total of four ticks, before Allura broke and began to giggle. Lance joined in, and soon they were staggering down the hall like they were drunk, laughing maniacally together.

It was nice, hanging out with Allura like this. Usually, she was all business and no fun, so Lance liked to take advantage of the days when she let loose, and tried to spend as much time as possible with her - preferably with the others, to show that yes, even Allura could relax and have fun in the middle of a galactic war.

He'd noticed that when more people joined in the silliness, the less tension there was between them on rough days. There was less arguing, and more working together to form a game-plan. Even the lions were more amiable.

_Are you saying we aren't amiable?_

Lance huffed under his breath, side-eyeing Allura before answering - in his head, of course. He didn't want Allura thinking he was crazy. _Blue, you know what I mean. You remember how Red and Keith were at the very beginning, right?_

_Ah yes, the disgraceful little cub wouldn't listen to me! _ Red growled. _I swear, if he'd crashed me into a Galra ship one more time..._

_Yeah, well now you two are pretty close, _ Green pointed out. _Unlike my own Paladin and I. She still believes that I am merely a ship which she can tinker with as she pleases!_

_But, don't you let her?_

_Not the point, Yellow._

Lance chuffed out a quiet laugh. _I'll be sure to talk to Pidge about that later, Green. But can you guys discuss this elsewhere? It's really hard to carry two conversations at the same time, and I'm pretty sure we're getting close to the lounge._

_Fiiine... _Green grumbled, retreating to wherever the lions went when they _weren't _ hanging out in his head. (He assumed they either went back to their own Paladins, or to their robotic bodies. He would ask, but he wasn't sure whether it would be considered rude.)

Allura turned to him a few ticks later in front of the lounge entrance, eyes sparkling. "So... Should we give a grand entrance, or sneak in from a different way and scare them?"

_Different way... _"Do you mean the vents?" Lance asked in confusion. "Because I don't think that'd be the greatest idea, considering the fact that we're wearing our fancy new outfits."

Allura shook her head, smiling mischievously. "No, I was referring to the secret trap door located in the middle of the lounge floor."

Lance did a double-take. "The _what-now?!"_

Allura merely grinned and grabbed his wrist, dragging him further down the hallway.

* * *

Lance could barely keep himself from bursting into uncontrollable laughter, crouching next to Allura in the cramped tunnel while above their heads, he could clearly hear Coran, Hunk and Shiro conversing over why it was taking them so long.

What made it all the more sweeter was the noise of Pidge's laptop keys, and the occasional interjection from Keith. Which meant that everyone was up there.

_Perfect._

Allura sent him a conspiring wink, placing one hand on the trapdoor above them and holding up four fingers with the other, slowly counting down as she mouthed each number.

_Four... Three... Two... One..._

A tick after one, she pushed up as hard as she could, sending the trapdoor flying off its hinges and narrowly missing Keith's face as it hit the opposite wall, and they both surged upwards with matching, high-pitched shrieks.

Pidge let out a shriek of her own, hurling her laptop at the two and clambering onto Hunk like a koala, who was also screaming. Shiro activated his Galra arm and dropped into a fighting stance, Keith following his lead and throwing his knife at them. Coran jumped about three feet in the air, with an unholy screech that reminded Lance a _lot _ of car tires squealing as they took a fast turn.

Allura, thank goodness, was able to dodge Keith's knife, where it impaled the floor behind her with a twang. Lance, however, wasn't so lucky with Pidge's laptop.

Instead of the cool maneuver Lance was trying to do to avoid the flying computer, he flailed his body around miserably and got hit smack in the face, falling backwards from the impact. Allura reacted quickly, catching him before he could fall headfirst back into the hole they came from and get a concussion.

"Are you okay?!" she panicked, eyes roving over his face, probably searching for any damage.

After scaring his teammates half to death, being smacked in the face with the space equivalent of a laptop, and having the love of his life catch him, Lance's brains were absolutely scrambled. So, he couldn't really blame himself for bursting into laughter, his entire body shaking with the force of it.

"Great," Hunk mumbled distantly, through Lance's hysterics. "You broke him, Pidge."

_"I _ broke him?!" Pidge nearly screeched. _"The jerk almost gave me a heart attack!"_

Lance's laughter eased up, and he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Shiro and Keith had untensed, now that they knew there was no real danger. They both didn't look very happy, though.

"Allura... _Why?" _ Shiro finally asked, sounding like he'd practically given up on life.

Allura giggled. "Because."

Lance, having regained his wits, was suddenly very aware that the princess was practically _cradling him in her arms, _ and proceeded to launch himself out of her grip and scramble madly backwards on the floor until his back hit one of the couches, praying with all his might that his burning face would go unnoticed.

Allura watched him go with a slightly puzzled expression, but she shrugged it off and got to her feet gracefully, brushing her dress off and giving a little twirl. "So, what do you think? Lance did my hair - isn't it absolutely _gorgeous?!"_

Pidge whistled lowly, eyes wide. "I have to admit, you are a literal _goddess_ in that dress."

Allura flushed self-consciously. "You really think so?"

_Yes, _ Lance agreed.

Everyone's eyes were suddenly on him, and at this point, he was certain he looked like a tomato. "I, uh... I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Hunk reached over to pull him to his feet, which Lance gladly accepted. But as soon as he had both feet planted firmly on the ground, Allura came bounding over like an excited puppy. "And look at Lance's outfit!" she exclaimed. "It fits him perfectly, wouldn't you say?!"

Hunk grinned and clapped him gently on the back. "Yeah, it sure does. You look great, _hermano."_

"My boy," Coran cut in, still smoothing down his frazzled mustache from the scare, "I have no words for how amazing you are, putting all of this together for us. In less than a week, no less! That takes true talent and skill."

Lance wasn't used to receiving so many compliments at once, and being the awkward human being he was, he blushed furiously and stared off to the side, incapable of words. He appreciated it, he really did, but... whenever a compliment caught him off-guard, he just... sort of froze up in a panic.

Shiro smiled and laid a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Yes, thank you, Lance. Without you here, I don't know _what _ we would've done."

Keith coughed in the background. "Well, at least we didn't follow _your _ fashion advice," he muttered, the comment directed at Shiro.

Shiro turned to look at him. "Excuse me?"

The Red Paladin rolled his eyes. "Oh please, your fashion sense is _horrible! _ Remember that one time when you wore a striped tie with a _plaid _ shirt?"

Shiro flushed as Pidge made a gagging sound, while Lance and Hunk shared an incredulous look behind his back. _Stripes and plaid?!_

"I-" Shiro spluttered, "W-well, look who's talking!"

Keith quirked an eyebrow, unimpressed, as Shiro struggled to come up with a scenario. Lance decided to defend his hero, since he was obviously too flustered to come up with a comeback.

"Yeah, I think he's referring to that atrocious thing you call a _hairstyle," _ Lance pointed out smugly.

Keith bristled. "It's _not _a mullet! Besides, _you're _ the one who put it into this ponytail in the first place!"

Lance gaped like an idiot, at a loss for words, because Keith was _right. He'd literally just insulted his own handiwork._

Wow. Smooth, Lance.

_Yes, very smooth._

_Shut up, Red._

Red cackled. _I will never let you live this down._

_Screw you. Go chase some mice._

Red gave a very indigent noise, but backed away at Black's warning growl. _Red, stop teasing the cub. And cub, stop antagonizing Red._

_She started it! _ Lance complained childishly, but before Black could answer, he was startled out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. He blinked up into Shiro's unmistakable gray eyes, then glanced around the room to find everyone staring at him in various stages of worry.

"Lance?" Shiro prompted, gaining his attention. "Are you okay? You kinda spaced out on us there, buddy."

Lance snorted at the unintentional pun, brushing away the hand. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Had an annoying lion in my head that I had to get rid of."

Everyone's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, you were talking to Blue?" Pidge asked incredulously. "Like, not while we're in battle? Is that even a thing?"

Before Lance could answer, Allura nodded, and six pairs of eyes swiveled to look at her. "Yes, it is. The former Blue Paladin was the first to be able to converse with his lion, and eventually, along the course of many deca-phoebs of training and bonding together, all the Paladins of old were able to communicate with their lions, at any given moment."

"Woah, that's super cool!" Hunk exclaimed. "Does that mean that one day, I'll be able to talk with Yellow?"

"Yup," Lance confirmed without thinking, popping the 'p.'

"And how would you know?" Pidge challenged, eyes narrowed. "The Yellow Lion is Hunk's, not yours."

Lance found so many things wrong with that statement, it was a miracle he didn't launch himself at Pidge and demand that she take that back. It wasn't her fault she was so ignorant; she just didn't understand yet.

"First off," Lance began, holding up a finger, "her name is Yellow, not 'the Yellow Lion.' Secondly-" he held up another finger, "- the Lions technically don't _belong _ to anyone - they just chose us to pilot them. And, last of all -" one more finger, "- I can talk to all the lions through Blue, so _yes, _ I _do _ know."

That last bit was a blatant lie, but Lance didn't really see the need to reveal that he could speak to all of the lions normally. Considering how they'd reacted to the fact that he could speak with Blue alone, he figured that they'd already be jealous enough.

"That's so cool!" Hunk practically squealed. "But why are you the only one who can do it? I would _love _ to be able to talk to Yellow!"

Lance shrugged. "Well, I think the most important thing to do is just hang out with her. Talk to her, tell her stories, clean her, the works. That's how I was able to gain Blue's trust."

Blue gave him a resounding purr of agreement through their bond, and Yellow sent him a thank-you for the advice to her Paladin. Lance laughed at the attention.

"Yeah, no problem, girls!" he answered out loud, not bothering to hide his smile or stay quiet. It was actually a huge relief now that everyone knew that he could communicate with Blue. He didn't have to have sneaky conversations in his mind and make everyone worried with his spacing-out anymore.

"Is that what you meant earlier by, 'your girls?'" Pidge asked, going to retrieve her laptop. "Because that was pretty confusing without context."

Lance shrugged self-consciously. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry about that, by the way. It was just a little frustrating, with you guys talking about them like they couldn't think for themselves."

"Girls..." Keith repeated, forehead scrunching up in bewilderment. "If they're all girls, then how come Voltron is a man?"

Lance opened his mouth, then closed it. "I... actually don't know. Blue? Any thoughts?"

He could feel Blue's shrug. _Don't ask me. Black?_

_I think it may be because we're supposed to be a pack, and all packs require a male to lead. And since none of us are male..._

"Ah, that makes sense," Lance said mindlessly, nodding. "Thanks, Black."

Hunk squinted at him suspiciously. "Uh, you're talking to Black through Blue, right? Also, what's her answer?"

Lance jumped, then rubbed the back of his neck. He'd completely forgotten that he wasn't alone. Maybe this would be harder than he'd thought.

"Oh! Um... Yeah!" he covered up quickly. "Yeah, I can only talk to them through Blue. And Black says that it's because they're a pack, and all packs need a male to lead them. And since they're all girls..."

"...Then Voltron makes up for that," Pidge finished, eyes growing wide. "Wow, that's really fascinating. I'll have to talk to Green about it sometime."

Lance shot her finger guns. "I'm sure Green will appreciate it. She's kinda bummed that you're always too busy with your technology to hang out with her."

Green sniffed in mock betrayal. _Stop giving away all my secrets! I told you that in confidence!_

"Yeah, but you wanted her to know, didn't you?"

A pause.

_Shut up, you. I hate when you're smart._

Lance laughed out loud. "Jokes on you, I'm always smart," he joked, puffing out his chest even though Green couldn't technically see it.

"Uh..." Pidge stared at him, open-mouthed. The others weren't much better. Lance deflated slightly under the attention, clearing his throat.

"Sorry, too weird?" he asked. "Okay, I'll try not to do it anymore." He pressed on before anyone could answer. "But at least try to hang out with your lions more? I think they get lonely."

Hunk's face fell into something that resembled a mix of pity, horror, and worry. "Oh, well now I feel horrible! Poor Yellow..."

His face switched into amazement and comfort a tick later, as if he was hearing something that no one else could. Lance suspected that Yellow was purring to reassure him that she had no hard feelings.

"Is this what it's like...?" Hunk breathed, eyes landing on Lance. "This is amazing!"

Despite himself, Lance smirked. "Just wait until she's in your head _all _ the time. It really is amazing."

Shiro shook his head, chuckling warmly. "Wow. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Lance. We'll make sure to spend more time on bonding with our lions."

_"And _ clean them?" Lance quirked an eyebrow, hands on his hips. Seriously, they all _really _ needed to get into the habit of cleaning and repairing their lions. When he'd gone to clean them, both Red and Black had multiple dents, and Yellow's back left leg had been so rusted it had been hindering her movement.

"And clean them," Shiro agreed amicably.

Lance's lips fell into an easy grin. "Good. Now, why don't we discuss what the game plan is before we wormhole our way to Yakido."

Allura clapped her hands together, any traces of playfulness gone. "Lance is right. If anything is to go wrong, we need to have a backup plan ready. The Yakidens are supposed to be peaceful, but our information is still outdated. All we know is that they continue to keep their traditions alive, and the Galra have not invaded their planet."

"But that doesn't mean that the Galra haven't influenced them," Keith noted grimly. "There could be spies, or we could be walking into a very well-thought-out trap."

Shiro nodded. "Good point. Allura, would they be alarmed if we brought our bayards or some other weapons with us?"

Allura sighed. "Unfortunately, most likely. They only agreed to have this meeting under the conditions that we would come dressed our best, and unarmed."

Lance cleared his throat. "I may have a solution for that." At everyone's stares, he elaborated. "All your outfits have built-in pockets that are _just _ the right size for our bayards. And they're hidden under special fabric that I just happened to stumble upon. It basically makes anything underneath practically invisible and impossible to spot."

Unable to let such a good moment go to waste, Lance smugly added, "You're welcome."

Huk blinked at him, then laughed loudly. "How many times have I told you that you're a genius? Because you just keep proving yourself."

Lance snorted in disbelief, waving a hand in the air. "I was just planning ahead. That doesn't make me a genius."

Pidge, who had set her laptop aside on the couch after checking to make sure it was okay, straightened and gave him an _'are you serious right now' _ look. "Lance, you managed to make us _all _ outfits in _one week, _ and to go a step further, you somehow knew our sizes, and made them to suit our preferences. If that isn't genius, then I don't know _what _ is."

"Um... _You're _ a genius?" Lance pointed out. "Literally everyone in this room is a genius, so I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this. And I bribed the mice to get me your sizes; don't worry. In case any of you thought I, like, snuck into your bedrooms and measured you while you were sleeping, because that's plain creepy."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Good to know."

Allura frowned. "Wait, you bribed the mice? Why didn't they tell me? They tell me everything!"

Lance coughed awkwardly. "Welllll... part of the bribe was that they wouldn't let you know. Sorry, but I had to find some way to keep them quiet!"

Allura crossed her arms with a faux pout. "Unbelievable. You didn't trust them to keep it a secret _without _ bribing them?"

"Of course not! They're almost as nosy as Hunk, and that's saying something!"

"Hey!"

"Sorry, no offense, buddy."

"How can I _not _ take offense to that?!"

Before their little argument turned into an all-out war, Coran cleared his throat and straightened his cape. "I do believe that we're supposed to be making a plan? We only have about two more varga before we're supposed to arrive, and I would like to be prepared."

Shiro shot Coran a grateful look. "Yes, thank you, Coran. Now..." he turned to Allura. "Princess, can you bring up a layout of the planet, and the area where the ball will be taking place?"

Allura nodded diligently, hand already reaching for the door that led out of the lounge. "Already on it. Follow me; we can discuss this on the bridge."

Lance groaned quietly so that only Hunk and Pidge could hear him. "Oh, great. Planning. So much fun."

Pidge snickered. "More like 'Let's stare into space while Space Dad and the princess make the plan.'"

Keith popped up beside them, nearly giving Lance a mini heart-attack. "That's so accurate, it isn't even funny."

"I can hear you," Shiro deadpanned from his spot in the open doorway, waiting for them to file out.

"Yes, we know," Pidge snarked, before slipping under his arm and sprinting down the hallway, cackling. Lance quickly followed her example, as did Keith. Hunk trailed behind, sending Shiro an apologetic shrug before breaking into a jog as well, yelling, "Wait for me!"

Lance could hear Shiro's tired yet fond sigh from across the hallway, over the sounds of pounding feet and wild laughter.

* * *

**This is way too long... Oh well. Again, please leave a comment below, and let me know if I missed any errors in the text! I tried my best, but I don't have anyone to beta-read, so...**


End file.
